In 2014, he served tenants an eviction notice under the Ellis
Act, which allows landowners — many of whom had purchased
buildings at a discount because of rent-controlled tenants — to
push existing tenants out so the buildings can "go out of
business" and be converted into condos.

According to Mission Local, this week tenant Rebecca
Bauknight received a one-page Notice to Vacate that said she
could be evicted from her apartment anytime after 6 a.m.
Wednesday morning. Bauknight has reportedly lived in the building
for more than 25 years.

Other tenants in the building recently
won an appeal that effectively delayed their evictions from
the building, but Bauknight did not join the law suit. A neighbor
told Mission Local that Bauknight has a mental disability that
prevented her from filing the papers on time.

Protesters who showed up at Halprin's building Wednesday
carried signs with slogans like "Evict Google," "We love Becky,"
and "This is a community, not a Monopoly
board."

Matt Rosoff / Business Insider

They chanted things like "Hey Google, you can't hide" and
""We're prepared to be arrested and we won't move."

Though a protester told the crowd that Bauknight left the
building at around 4:30 Wednesday morning, a neighbor told
Business Insider that she had not yet been evicted.

Matt Rosoff / Business Insider

A representative for the protesters spoke to the crowd: "This is
not right. This is not the San Francisco I love."

Matt Rosoff / Business Insider

"When tenant rights are under
attack, what do we do? Stand up and fight back," the crowd
shouted.